Negroponte aide defends Chinese spy, blasts FBI

A top intelligence aide to Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte is "leading an effort within the Bush administration to defend" a Chinese spy.

Lonnie Henley, Deputy National Intelligence Officer for East Asia under Negroponte, is a friend of former DIA China expert Ronald Montaperto who admitted to espionage-related charges involving betraying the United States to China.

According to Bill Gertz of the Washington Times, Henley "has written e-mails and had telephone conversations with intelligence and policy officials criticizing the FBI investigation and seeking to downplay the damage caused by Montaperto's 22 years of contacts with two Chinese military intelligence officers."

I corroborated Gertz's report independently.

"As deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia under Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John D. Negroponte, Mr. Henley is one of the most senior U.S. intelligence analysts," Gertz writes.

"His defense of Montaperto and criticism of the FBI is unusual and has raised concerns among US counterintelligence officials that there are others in the intelligence community who may have improperly shared classified information with China."